In Key West, Florida, a significant event took place during the Hemingway Days celebration, concluding on Sunday. On his 68th birthday, Gerrit Marshall, a retired television broadcast engineer from Madison with a distinguished white beard, emerged as the winner of the renowned Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. The contest, held at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, a beloved spot frequented by the legendary writer Ernest Hemingway during the 1930s, is a highlight of the annual celebration. Marshall expressed his joy, stating that it was the best birthday he had ever experienced, made even more special as his birthday falls just one day after Ernest Hemingway’s own birthday on July 21st.
After making 10 previous attempts, Gerrit Marshall finally emerged victorious, surpassing nearly 140 other participants in the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest. The competition consisted of two preliminary rounds leading up to the grand finals held on Saturday.
All contestants donned sportsman’s attire, with many emulating the rugged persona famously adopted by Hemingway in his later years. They paraded onstage at Sloppy Joe’s Bar, where a judging panel composed of past winners carefully evaluated their resemblances to the iconic writer.
Marshall highlighted that besides his physical resemblance, he shares several other characteristics with Hemingway. He revealed his passion for the outdoors, just like Hemingway, and expressed his deep love for fishing, mentioning successful catches of walleye and northern pike in Wisconsin waters and exciting angling experiences for tarpon in the Florida Keys.
However, Marshall humorously acknowledged that he couldn’t match the late author’s record of four marriages. “I only have one wife, but that doesn’t matter — that’s all I need,” he quipped, drawing laughter from the audience. Beyond his similarities to Hemingway, Marshall is also a writer himself, having penned both nonfiction and short fiction pieces.
In addition to the thrilling contest and various other festivities, the participants in the Hemingway Look-Alike Contest are committed to a noble cause – raising scholarship funds for students in the Florida Keys. As president of the Hemingway Look-Alike Society, David Douglas proudly announced that the 2023 festival successfully gathered an estimated sum of close to $125,000 to support educational opportunities for Keys students.
Hemingway Days, an annual celebration, pays tribute to the vibrant lifestyle and literary brilliance of the renowned Nobel Prize-winning author. Key West held a special place in Ernest Hemingway’s heart, as it was where he resided from 1931 until late 1939. During his time there, he crafted timeless masterpieces like “For Whom the Bell Tolls” and “To Have and Have Not,” leaving behind an enduring literary legacy cherished by readers worldwide.
